Chapter 424
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
Tightrope-Walking Tactic
Translator : PolterGlast
The Commander and General Golpa seemed to be
thinking the exact same thing regarding this difficult situation, and their
conclusion was fast. After confirming several points of concern based on the
map and summarizing them into a tactical plan, the two explained it to me,
whose understanding had not yet caught up.
「In short, the initial basic strategy
and plan themselves remain unchanged. To gradually reduce the enemy
army through defeat in detail, to lure out the enemy's main force and strike
them in a field battle rather than a siege battle; these points are common. The
setup for this operation is...」
Through the Commander's explanation, I was finally
able to glean their thoughts! But well... what pressure.
「The differences in the operation
itself are that it will be a series of battles over a short period of time, and
that everything is linked and if one part crumbles the whole thing collapses;
we have no choice but to walk a tightrope to achieve our objective, right?」
Having finally understood the tactical plan, I too
solidified my resolve. Thereupon, the Commander convened the main
commanders and explained the outline of the operation to them just as he had to
me. And then...
「Then, in accordance with the
operation, I will depart one step ahead leading five thousand cavalry to hold
back the enemy main force. Of the two thousand infantry remaining, one thousand
are composed of Vile Kingdom soldiers, and the remaining one thousand
are Cain Kingdom soldiers. In both, I have appointed resourceful
individuals as commanders, so please command them as you wish.」
Saying so, General Golpa departed for the front.
Simultaneously, the two thousand men who remained under the General's command
all became infantry, passed through the forest off the highway, descended the
mountain, and began to move to conceal themselves in their designated
positions.
「Glenn, the two thousand Longbow cavalry shall gather
usable items such as banners and shields captured from the Holy Knights,
receive the necessary number, and stand by before the mountain pass!」
「Ha!」
「The other five thousand cavalry
shall stand by behind the bow cavalry as the main force; the two thousand
cavalry led by Mars, Aral, Danke, and Isaac shall
also join the main force and be under Takuhir-sama's command!」
「「「「Yeah!」」」」
「The main force shall descend the
highway after the vanguard has departed and lay in ambush at the designated
position; take care absolutely not to be discovered by the enemy! The one
thousand residual unit shall retreat to the base after the battlefield cleanup
is done; in addition to guarding the entrusted cavalry horses and prisoners,
maintain the supply materials. If immediate withdrawal is not possible, you may
abandon a portion of the captured goods!」
The Commander's instructions flew in rapid
succession, and everyone hurriedly began to move.
「Takuhir-sama, I leave the main force and the two thousand infantry
unit acting as the assault unit in your hands. I will lead the Longbow
cavalry and lure the enemy soldiers out of the castle.」
At those words, I nodded tensely. Because this operation's
lifeblood is timing, and the role the main force I lead must fulfill is
extremely large. Even during preparations, the enemy army is moving moment by
moment. While watching that, the Longbow cavalry led by the Commander
solemnly departed for the front, crossed the mountain pass, and moved toward
the west side. After seeing them off, we too commenced action.
「Following the assault unit already
lying in ambush ahead, the main force will also enter the Cain Kingdom
and conceal ourselves! Everyone, dismount and follow in an orderly manner,
weaving through the shadows of the forest!」
「「「「「Yeah!」」」」」
Taking care not to raise dust clouds, we too solemnly
crossed the mountain pass and began moving toward the east side, weaving
through the forest. The rest is whether the enemy will move as assumed...
※
The two thousand cavalry led by Weiss, while hoisting
the banners of the Holy Knights, moved out of the Royal Capital of the Cain
Kingdom as if pursuing the one thousand Holy Knights moving west.
The missions imposed on them were three.
·
To approach
the pursuing enemy army without being detected as an enemy.
·
To commence
the attack at a timing where the enemy main force moving northeast and the
enemy remaining in the Royal Capital are at a distance where they cannot detect
it.
·
To whittle
down the fighting strength of the target of the attack without completely
annihilating them, push them toward the Royal Capital of the Cain Kingdom,
and make them send out reinforcements from the Royal Capital.
In executing this operation, if they fail to assess the
timing, all the setups will collapse. Therefore, Weiss gradually closed
the distance with the one thousand cavalry of the Holy Knights while
carefully assessing the respective distances and times. And finally... He
opened his eyes wide, drew his sword on horseback, and spurred the entire army.
「From here on, a simultaneous volley
while overtaking them; come out on the west side and push them east while
semi-encircling them! Listen up, absolutely do not hit the baggage train; we
need them to carry the bait right in front of our next prey, after all.」
Those following, instead of answering verbally, each readied
the Longbow they held in their hands.
※
The one thousand cavalry of the Holy Knights that
departed the Royal Capital of the Cain Kingdom, despite being composed
entirely of cavalry, were moving west slowly. It was only natural; a baggage
train fully loaded with supply materials plus the wealth plundered in the Royal
Capital of the Cain Kingdom was accompanying them in a long line.
「Even so... how far did those guys
who went ahead go?」
「They're probably absorbed in the
hunt and hurrying ahead anyway. It'd be nice if there was prey left by the time
we arrive, though.」
「Even so... moving accompanied by a
baggage train makes one impatient with how slow our feet are.」
「Fufufu, much of this is our wealth
plundered from the Lute Kingdom. If you think of it that way, it
shouldn't be a hardship.」
「Certainly... right. Hm? What is
that?」
From the right rear of their field of vision as they spoke,
the dust clouds raised by thousands of cavalry horses and the military banners
hoisted by the cavalry running at the vanguard could be confirmed.
「Dust clouds from the rear! It seems
the allied forces that set out earlier have caught up!」
「Did they finally finish their hunt
and join us? Those guys, I was worried they might get absorbed and go all the
way to the national border ahead of us.」
One of the commanders leading the Holy Knights let
out a sigh of relief towards the allies who had finally joined them. However,
the allied forces catching up hurried ahead without slowing their speed in the
slightest, making it look as if they were going to slip past beside them.
「N-No way... they are going ahead
again to hunt on their own...」
「E-Enemy attack!」
「W-What did you say! What were those
guys who went ahead doing!」
Amidst the echoing screams of the commander, the enemy
hoisting the banners of the Holy Knights bathed them in a simultaneous
volley of arrows as they overtook them, and dashed past one after another.
「P-Protect the wealth at the very
rear! Do not let them take it. Each of you return fire while surrounding the
very rear!」
Yes, the very rear was fully loaded with the wealth they had
thoroughly plundered. Treasures and gold coins that had slept in the Royal
Palace of the Cain Kingdom, a massive amount of wealth thoroughly
plundered from the mansions of nobles in the Royal Capital, merchants, and the
populace...
「T-The enemy numbers are too many!
There seems to be double our number. We cannot fully protect it at this rate!」
「Tch, then fall back for now! Temporarily
retreat to the Royal Capital until allies return! Those hyenas, we will
annihilate them later! Request reinforcements from the guys remaining in the
suppressed Royal Capital too!」
Following those instructions, the one thousand cavalry of
the Holy Knights hurriedly began to fall back.
※
The Holy Knights, while protecting the baggage train,
laid out a crescent moon formation and gradually began to fall back along the
path they came. Against that, Weiss laid out a goose-flight formation,
and deliberately did not sever their retreat path or circle to their rear to
attempt an encirclement and annihilation.
「Listen up, do not mistake the
degree; it will ruin everything if they route. While maintaining distance,
continue to appropriately pressure the enemy!」
Following those instructions, the Longbow soldiers
continued to unilaterally attack from horseback while maintaining a safe
distance. It did not deal fatal wounds to the heavily armored Holy Knights,
but it was sufficient to force them to bleed while gradually prompting their
retreat.
※
And then... a while after battles
opened, a report informing them of the crisis of their allied forces also
reached the garrison entrusted with the Royal Capital of the Cain Kingdom.
「Reporting! The enemy soldiers that
the main force of the Holy Knights was pursuing earlier have returned
once again! Their number is approximately two thousand; they are currently
attacking the transport corps heading towards the national border!」
「What happened to those who went out
to pursue!」
「They are nowhere to be seen; it
seems they chased after them in the wrong direction.」
「Tch! Those reckless boars who don't
know war, are they not even aware they lost sight of them because they were
absorbed in the chase? From here on we too shall sort out with our entire army,
and eradicate the thieves aiming for the offerings to God!」
Upon saying so, he immediately opened the city gates of the
Royal Capital, and the general entrusted with the defense of the Royal Capital
sortied leading nearly four thousand soldiers, which was almost the entire
army. This was because he calculated that against two thousand enemies, with a
total of five thousand, a fighting strength more than double, they could secure
a victory for certain. Besides creating an overwhelming difference in numbers,
there was one more thing that pushed their backs and prompted their decision.
That was the massive amount of wealth the Holy Knights were taking away.
Originally, when the Lute-Vile-Cain Kingdom
split into three countries, each country achieved its own unique growth.
Lute Kingdom:
Due to constant skirmishes with the Istoria Imperial Kingdom over the
national border, industries centered around the military aspect, including
mobile ballistas, to protect the long border line developed, as well as
livestock farming, including the pasturage of cattle and horses which, unlike
fields, can be moved; but above all, there were rich mines scattered throughout
the country to the extent that the Istoria Imperial Kingdom attempted
invasions time and again.
Vile Kingdom:
Surrounded on the left and right by brother countries, and with little worry
about defending national borders, they proceeded with land reclamation and
developed primarily in the agricultural aspect. In addition, since they bore
the responsibility of defending the border with the Empire from olden
times, they enriched defensive weaponry using various ballistas, but compared
to the neighboring countries on both sides, they lacked prominent industries,
were inferior economically, and were in financial straits.
Cain Kingdom:
Because there was less imminent military threat compared to the other brother
countries, commerce developed and they focused on commercial transactions with
other countries. Due to this, they had become outstandingly wealthy financially
among the three countries. Therefore, the nobles of the three countries
unanimously entrusted their assets to the merchants of the Cain Kingdom
and gained wealth by having them manage it. As a result, the Cain Kingdom
became the commercial and financial center of the three countries, and since
major trading companies also placed their headquarters there, they stood one or
two steps above their brother countries in economic power.
So to speak, only the Vile Kingdom remained a
traditional agriculture-based country, left behind from the wealth. That was
also one of the reasons the former King of Vile envied other countries,
but this is another story. Due to such circumstances, massive amounts of gold
coins and treasures slept in the Royal Palace's treasury, the mansions of great
merchants lined the Royal Capital, and gold coins and goods were piled high in
their storehouses. And the Holy Knights plundered the majority of those.
Although the Royal Palace's treasury was split evenly, it is no exaggeration to
say they almost monopolized the wealth of the Royal Capital. Therefore, their
baggage train was loaded with wealth equivalent to hundreds of thousands of
gold coins. This was an unpleasant story for the subordinates of Lugner
and Azel. And... it was even more unpleasant for those to be recaptured
by the defeated remnants of the Cain Kingdom. It is no exaggeration to
say that they sortied in order to partake in the share of the disproportionate
wealth held by the Holy Knights.
※
Receiving the report that the city gates of the Royal
Capital were opened and nearly four thousand soldiers, combining cavalry and
infantry, had come out, Takuhir, lying in ambush within the forest,
floated a smile of satisfaction.
「Now then, the luring out of the
military force remaining in the Royal Capital, which was the most difficult
problem, has succeeded. All that's left is for us to block their return path
and unleash the second and third stages of defeat in detail! Entire army,
prepare for sortie while lying in ambush!」
Saying so, he grasped the reins of his beloved horse and
mounted. Then, he informed the person standing beside him.
「Communicate to the infantry unit
concealed near the Royal Capital! 『After we strike out and secure the city gates, recapture the
emptied Royal Capital.』
With this, the Cain Kingdom will also be liberated shortly.」
「Ha!」
Staring at the back of the running messenger, Takuhir calmly watched the progression of the battlefield. From here on, the second and third stages of defeat in detail will begin.
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